July 27, 2012

Sumo Wrestling

Has sumo wrestling ever been an Olympic sport? I
don't suppose so, but seeing the level of unusual and visual impact of the
sport, it would look good in any games or at least in an opening ceremony!
After all, Japan’s national sport is as ceremonial as any other, and with roots
going further back than most other sports, though they may not stretch as far
back as the ancient Olympic Games, they more than deserve another moment in the
spotlight.

That’s what the Japanese postal authorities must
have thought as well in 1978, when they embarked on a five set series depicting
original Japanese art, such as drawings and woodblock prints, of sumo wrestlers.

Sumo wrestling has been around for centuries,
with first mentions of the sport dating back to the 8th century, when the sport
was a religious pre-harvest event. It grew and grew until it became the huge
thing which it still is today. It is quite a ceremonial sport and this is
reflected in the subjects chosen for the stamps.

The ceremonies and traditions even start before
the matches themselves start! Of old, the wrestlers lived on one side of the
river, with the Eko Temple compound where the matches were held situated on the
other side of the river. Crossing the river, over the Ryogoku Bridge, became a
traditional event which is depicted on these se-tenant stamps.

Once in the compound, the whole event gets on the
way with the ceremonial entering of the ring in which the match will take
place. This is depicted on these se-tenant stamps, with the wrestler on the
right being the grand champion Raigoro Hidenoyama.

There are various divisions within sumo
wrestling, with the top layer consisting of wrestlers being designated as either
‘east’ or ‘west’, ‘east’ being a notch higher than ‘west’. On this se-tenant
pair we see the special ring-entering ceremony performed by an east and west
wrestler.

The late 18th century is usually seen
as the Golden Age of sumo wrestling. Famous wrestlers from that time are seen
on the following stamp. They are Tameemon Raiden on the left and Shimanosuke
Jinmaku on the right. In the background stands referee Shonosuke Kimura.

Although we usually think of big bulky men playing
the sport, it is played by kids as well. The following stamp depicts a painting
of the Kaido wrestler Daidozan Bungoro, who was only seven years old! Kaido
wrestlers were often young boys with exceptionally large bodies. Daidozan
Bungoro weighed 70 kilos when he was 7!

It’s not just the wrestlers that have to grapple
with ceremonial duties, the referee as well has his own part to play and look
to sport, although his attire has been watered down through the ages. On this
stamp we see him in traditional warrior dress, complete with sword. By the way, the
sumo wrestler on the right stamp is Midorinosuke Onomatsu, who became a grand
champion in 1828.

In 1572, the winner of a tournament was presented
with a bow and he allegedly danced with joy, which led to the ceremony that
each tournament winner has to perform this bow dance. Nowadays, however,
special dancing wrestlers perform this ceremony, rather than the winner himself.